We have arrived again in the Exumas, after a 34 hour run from Bimini making our first stop at Shroud Cay. We spent the last week of January in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, spending a couple of nights at Shroud Cay and another couple of nights at Emerald Rock on Warderick Wells before moving onto Georgetown.

Sunset on what is reported to be the only western facing beach in the Bahamas on Bimini

Leaving Bimini

We said goodbye to Bimini on a reasonably calm day, as the winds blew steadily from the north. They were forecasted to shift to the east, as our course toward the Exumas gradually shifted to the southeast. It was going to be a close-hauled trip, but we were hoping to sail a good bit of it, if possible. We would travel across the Great Bahamas Banks throughout the day and night, across the Tongue of the Ocean at night and through Nassau harbor early the next morning. We would still need to cross the Yellow Banks, a shallower sea with large coral heads east of Nassau to reach the Exumas by afternoon the 2nd day. In order to time our arrival at Nassau during daylight, we left a little later in the morning, which also happened to be low tide. Since we didn’t want to go aground (again), Cathy sat on the bow and watched the water, giving Dave her read on how to maneuver around the shoal at the entrance to Bimini harbor. She quickly re-joined him in the cockpit as we cleared it, since we were almost immediately in the Gulf Stream. With north winds, the seas built quickly, but we had only 5 miles to go before heading back onto the banks and out of the deeper water. We successfully sailed most of the day until dark, when we fired up the engine to motorsail across the rest of the banks. As the wind shifted overnight, we finally had to furl the sail, the angle being too close even to motorsail. After passing out the east side of Nassau harbor, we raised the sails again, having made a decision based on wind angle to go to Shroud Cay, instead of Allens Cay. This allowed us to sail until just before entering the anchorage about a half-hour before sunset. Not a bad run.

In addition to Marianna, we traveled with 3 other boats: Symmetry, Inspiration, and Wild Iris. Wild Iris traveled at a slower pace, so left earlier than we did, but gave us a report on the channel and the seas before we left. Inspiration needed to make their way to the Abacos, so they stopped in Nassau to position themselves for the next leg north. Symmetry was running about an hour behind us, so they decided to head for Norman’s Cay, which would get them in before sunset. So, it was just Orion and Marianna pulling into Shroud Cay at the end of the 2nd day.

Shroud Cay

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

The weather was warmer this year than during our visit last year, so we did more swimming and snorkeling – first in the mangrove creeks at Shroud and then in the South Anchorage on the east side of Warderick Wells, protected by Hog Cay from Exuma Sound. They were both delightful, but the snorkeling and sandy beach at “Capture Beach” on Warderick Wells was the best. But some things were a pleasant repeat of last year. We made another trek up Boo Boo Hill behind the park headquarters on Warderick Wells and fed the banaquits. And once again, we met up with Val and Graham on Bonnie Lass, who had arrived the day before. They joined us on Orion for frozen drinks which made for a great reunion.

Dave had a significantly better birthday than last year, topping off a day of swimming and snorkeling with ice cream. He didn’t get the offer of a new bow pulpit like last year, but thankfully, we don’t need one. (And let’s hope it stays that way.)

Black Point

Black Point sits on the northern tip of Great Guana Cay in the Exumas. (Not to be confused with Great Guana Cay in the Abacos. Must be like Mill Creek in the Chesapeake.) We decided to make a stop here for the first time on Monday Feb. 8, after beating down the Banks from Warderick Wells for several hours. We arrived mid-afternoon to drop the anchor, where we joined about 30 other boats in this large harbor. The next morning we loaded up people, trash, laundry and a computer into the dinghy and rode into the Rockside Inn dinghy dock to take advantage of the short walk to the Laundromat. While Cathy did laundry, Dave checked the internet, picked up a coconut bread order, and then got roped into some work. Tom and Cathie on Interlude were in the harbor with Blessed Spirit. In the process of delivering supplies to the school in the settlement, they were contacted by a teacher who needed help with his computer. Dave helped him set up a dial-up internet connection, and talked with the principal about establishing a wireless network from the school that all the teachers could use. (The teachers are housed near the school.) She was eager to pursue this as a better solution.

With laundry tucked back on the boat, we started exploring the town. The first stop was Lorraine’s Café, where we enjoyed a conch sandwich and fries, before heading out to Willie Rolle’s Garden of Eden – a must-see stop at Black Point. On the way, we passed many groups of mostly women, weaving the long rolls of plaited palm, which would be used to make other goods. We had no trouble finding the Garden of Eden, with signs painted everywhere, including the pavement on the middle of the road. The garden contains dozens of driftwood sculptures, nestled between plants and flowers, which when viewed from the right angle and with the right imagination, turn into animals (2 of every kind according to Mr. Rolle) and humans in various activities. Of course, no garden would be complete without fruits and vegetables, and these were there in abundance, despite the meager amount of soil between the large patches of rock in the yard. There were papaya, guava, bananas, tamarinds, sapodillies (round kiwi), and pigeon peas – just to name some of the harvest. They were all thriving.

It was a beautiful day, but hot, so we were glad to get back to the boat to quench our thirst and, after stowing our laundry and performing some engine maintenance, we jumped in the water to cool off. We swam over to Marianna to say hello and then back to the boat. After dinner, Pat, Fred and Julie came over (by dinghy this time), bringing some of the sherbet from the freezer, so we had ice cream again. (We had to empty the freezer soon, since it was going to be delivered once we reached Georgetown. So, the ice cream had to be eaten.) We ended early, since we needed to be up at first light to head out for Georgetown, where we would spend the next week.

Georgetown Again

Having completed a 9-hour run from Black Point, out through nearby Dotham Cut, and down the Exuma Sound on a strictly motoring trip, we dropped anchor off Volleyball Beach, site of our infamous collision last year. It’s hard to say we were enthusiastic about returning, but we managed to spend a little time on Volleyball Beach (where we saw Fred and Debbie from Early Out), hiking on Stocking Island and provisioning in town, between high winds that kicked up the harbor too much for our little dinghy. Interlude joined us for cocktails one evening as we managed to eke out enough ice to make a pitcher full of frozen pina coladas. We also visited briefly with Fran and Floyd on Prior Ties who had just returned from Long Island with a group of boats that had participated in a regatta out of Georgetown.

Marina At Emerald Bay

With the forecasted fronts coming through every other day, we decided it was time to move on from Georgetown. We headed 12 miles north to a re-opened Marina at Emerald Bay. At $20/night, it was cheap as a mooring ball, but had free laundry, wi-fi, and showers on their “no services” dock, plus access to a gorgeous clubhouse, with TV and lots of places to lounge or plug-in and do internet. Wow! It is pretty far away from any settlement on land, but there is a well-stocked grocery store a short walk away, with free shuttle if you prefer. The only thing missing seemed to be propane re-fill. While Cathy was musing how we might find a way to do that, a propane truck drove into the driveway and Dave ran back to the boat to bring the tank for re-filling. Cathy’s thinking of what to ask for next.

Emerald Bay is a resort that was operated by Four Seasons. It closed in 2008 and re-opened last November after Sandals purchased the larger resort, including the marina. It is for sale, and the current bargain slip prices are to keep it running while a buyer is found. It had some problems that need to be overcome. Some facilities are still to be built, but the biggest obstacle that keeps boats away is the persistent surge in the marina basin. Dave talked to the harbormaster, who said they need to angle the breakwater walls to dampen this effect. Until then, the mega-yachts that will fuel the marina’s profits are reluctant to pull in.

Pat and Fred joined us late Thursday as the marina began to fill with boats hoping to escape the winds of the more severe weather forecasted on Saturday. With the marina full of boats, it wasn't long before a party was organized. On the opening night of the Olympics, the lounge was packed as we snacked on goodies and watched the Olympics coverage on the 52" flat screen TV. Then, on Saturday night before Valentine's Day, we loaded onto a bus to take a trip to the Palm Bay Beach Club, where the local Island Regatta Committee had a live band and some good food. It was a cool night, but we danced to keep warm and had a good time. By Sunday morning, however, the crowd was starting to trickle out, as the winds calmed down. We started looking for the right weather to leave and head north.

Boat Stuff

Our biggest concern about planning so long a run from Bimini to the Exumas was the potential for an overwhelming amount of water coming in through the rudder, as had happened on the trip from Vero Beach down the coast of Florida. Luckily this wasn’t the case. We did get some water in during our motoring legs, but this was a manageable amount. And while we sailed the rudder stayed dry. We did discover that the check valve in the line between the bilge pump on the thru-hull was doing its job a little too well, since we couldn’t get the little amount of water in the well past it. So, while in Georgetown, Dave changed the angle of the hose so the valve would be open for the aft bilge pump to pump out.

One unpleasant surprise of our trip out of Bimini was when, after only a short time underway, the tachometer stopped working. After several hours of travel, Dave was finally able to fix it by adjusting the leads to the sensor. Since we use this to monitor our fuel consumption, this was a relief.

As if we didn’t have enough problems with water in unusual places, Dave discovered water under the engine after our beat into the wind between Warderick Wells and Black Point. As he traced the leak, it became clear that it was coming from the raw water pump. However, since we had a new one on board in our spares, this was a simple fix to install the new one. And since the switch, no more water under the engine.

Some good news this year is that our batteries are retaining their charge and voltage much better than last year. While at Emerald Bay, although we didn't have power on the docks, we used the time to run the generator to charge them well.

Back North

So our general direction from here is north, through the Exumas and then to the Abacos by mid-March. We hope to spend more time at some of the Exuma islands we haven’t visited yet before making the jump across to the northern Bahamas. The water is still emerald green and warmer every day.